Tangled Webs
by JustCallMeMarly
Summary: [Post-2x12 Alaheo Pau'ole. AU from there.] A woman, a request… and a resulting web of danger, lies, love and lust that no one could have predicted. Least of all… him. [Steve/Kono, Kono/Adam, possibly some Steve/Cath]
1. One

**A/N:**** All right, y'all. This is my first attempt at anything H5-0. I'm only doing this because my muse kept yelling at me in Danny's voice "you need serious help!" because this plot was driving me absolutely crazy! It needed to be written, or at least started. Whether it's quality remains to be seen. So, here we go. Good luck, to you as the reader and to me as the writer. And mahalo for giving it a shot!**

* * *

**TANGLED WEBS**

* * *

_It was a stunning evening as the sun set over the ocean. A postcard setting, as many sunsets were in Hawaii… and it had been a good day for the Five-0. They'd gotten the bad guy, given a family some much needed closure and they'd had the joy of adding a new member to _their_ family. _

_Chin Ho Kelly's wedding had been beautiful and had gone off without a hitch. Now, among the party goers, the man who had been haunted for so long finally looked insanely happy, and Kono couldn't have been happier for her cousin that he got his happy ending with Malia after all of these years. _

"_So…" Steve's voice interrupted her musing. "You're a cousin-in-law."_

_She chuckled before turning to give him a wry look. "You do realize that I've been a cousin-in-law at least five times over already, right?"_

_He chuckled too as he came to stand next to her, looking out at the ocean. "Yeah, yeah."_

"_You realize that makes you a boss-in-law, right?" she teased. He raised an eyebrow at her._

"_I've never heard of that before," he said. She just grinned and gave him a wink._

"_It's a Five-0 thing." He grinned back for a moment before looking out at the water. She turned as well._

"_Despite the happiness of the day, I'm sensing a bit of angst from you, Boss. You gonna tell me what's on your mind?" she probed, not really expecting much in return. At least she could say she tried. It was quiet for a long moment. A moment where she was sure her suspicion was confirmed. But then he sighed, stuffing his hands in his pockets._

"_Joe's in the wind," he said softly. She frowned._

"_He was just here…" she said, confused. He smiled before looking at her._

"_Yeah…" he said. "Yeah. That's how it works sometimes."_

_Silence again. But she'd known him long enough. She knew what the silence meant._

"_You're going after him," she sighed, rubbing her arms in order to ward off the evening ocean breeze. Before she knew it, she had a suit jacket draped over her shoulders. When she looked over at him, he had his hands back in his pockets and he was looking out at the water again. There were words out there that she knew he was trying to gather. And when he finally had some semblance of them, she saw him swallow hard._

"_Kono, I need to ask you to do something for me." He turned to look her in the eye. She saw it immediately. This was going to be personal. And after all that had happened over the past year or so, it felt good to have that trust._

_She nodded, keeping his gaze. "Sure, Boss. Name it…"_

* * *

If she'd known where that particular exchange was going to take her, Kono Kalakaua may have thought twice about agreeing so readily to the very rare request. But Steve McGarrett had never steered her wrong. And he'd looked so uncomfortable when asking without actually _asking_… it had been like he'd been afraid she'd say no AND afraid that she'd say yes. It was a look that was so foreign on the Navy SEAL that she couldn't do anything BUT say yes. The actual "why" in that scenario wasn't something she was patient enough to really dwell on, so she didn't.

She had said yes. Didn't even hesitate, like he had. Now granted, in Steve's absence, she'd taken a bit of artistic license in the course of accomplishing her mission… probably an artistic sort of license that he never would have imagined. Kono knew she'd painted Steve's "any means" with more of an abstract brush than he probably intended. "Any means" in the Navy SEAL handbook likely read as more straight-forward tactics. But if it got them what they needed in the end, who was a man who usually paved his own investigative trails to complain? Especially after he'd left them to go barreling after his mentor with barely an explanation.

She sat back on the plush sofa and smiled to herself as she picked up one of room service's strawberries. And who was she to turn down a prime opportunity when it unexpectedly showed itself? Especially when there were so many side benefits to the arrangement.

Kono frowned slightly as she took a bite of the fruit. The only problem with this plan was that now… it didn't quite feel like an "arrangement" anymore.

She knew that she'd exchange a potential problem with a slightly larger, slightly more concrete problem. A problem that had the potential for many smaller problems following in its wake.

Adam Noshimuri walked into the spacious room wearing only a towel around his freshly showered body. He grabbed a strawberry for himself before leaning down to give her a quick, thorough good morning kiss.

"Good call," he murmured against her lips with a smile. She smiled back.

She was beginning to wonder if this whole arrangement _had_ been a good call as her heart suddenly felt the need to skip a beat.

* * *

_To be continued…_


	2. Two

**A/N:** **The first one was short, meant as sort of an introduction to the crux of the plot. **** Now, we're going to start getting into things. Let's see how it plays out. Hopefully what's in my head translates to the paper! And, I'll be re-introducing one of my favorite characters earlier than "expected". I think you'll probably be shocked at who that is… hehehehe.**

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**Part Two**

* * *

In hindsight, trying to track down Joe White probably hadn't been the most intelligent of ideas. The man was a ghost. And if anyone knew just how good of a ghost the man could be, it was Steve McGarrett.

He was no closer to solving any of his problems than he had been three weeks ago. Hiro Noshimuri was still missing, Wo Fat was lurking in the corners as always, and Joe White was out there with a good chunk of his answers.

Three weeks. He'd been away from Hawaii for three weeks and he would be returning with his tail between his legs. Joe had always been at least a half step ahead of him. That was _always_ enough room for a SEAL to disappear.

The plane touched down with a relatively gentle shake, and Steve pulled out his cell phone and quickly punched in a speed dial code.

"Williams House of Pineapple." Steve raised an eyebrow at the sarcastic response.

"Well, that would be a change," he commented. Danny snorted a quick laugh.

"Ah, Super SEAL... finally, we're important enough to actually get a phone call. Three weeks, babe. You'd be _amazed_ at what can change in three weeks."

"You say that like things have," he said. There was an uncharacteristic moment of silence.

"You'd be surprised." There was a serious tone in Danny's voice that put Steve on edge.

"Everyone okay?" he asked, his mind going quickly to Kono, Chin and Lori. Not for the first time did he regret not trying to stay in touch over the past few weeks.

"Oh sure, everyone's healthy and in one piece. Easy enough to do without you around, Trouble Magnet," Danny answered. Steve absorbed that for a moment as the plane finished taxiing and other passengers began to gather their things.

"But?" he prompted. There was one little, niggling worry at the back of his brain. Again, it took Danny a moment to respond.

"You'll be coming back to an interesting dynamic, that's for damn sure. Something went down between Chin & Kono, babe. Serious stuff. The only time I see them acknowledge each other is on the job, professional as ever," he said, voice quiet as if he didn't want to be heard. Which was probably the case.

"Did either of them say anything?" he asked. That little worry was now becoming a flashing neon warning sign. Danny scoffed.

"Are you kidding? Get anything other than _everything's fine_ out of those two? I think it may require your more 'refined' interrogation skills. I've already tried bribery, alcohol, & Daddy Danny voice," his partner told him. Steve sighed. He remembered the last time he had to interrogate one of them. It was _not_ a good memory…

"I just touched down at Honolulu International. I'll be to HQ in about 30 minutes," he said.

"You're back on the island? Well, gee, that was a fair amount of warning, buddy. I've had no time to alert the criminal element that Crazy is back in town. Or, you know, put together a Welcome Home party," Danny joked.

"I'm sure you've had your fair share of crazy," Steve said back, pulling his bag from the overhead compartment and following the other passengers to the exit.

"Ha! Surprisingly not. Or not-surprisingly, whichever. Things have mostly been run-of-the-mill. Some would say 'boring'. I don't say that, of course, but _some_ would," his partner griped. Steve grinned.

"You can just _say_ you missed me, you know," he joked.

"What's wrong with you, huh? I mean, didn't I just get done saying that life has been peaceful? Sedate even? How does that translate to I missed you? Just get your ass back here so I don't have to be Lori's only source of conversation, alright? With the Talkative Twins good moods as of late, she seems to find me a stunning conversationalist," he grumbled.

"But you _are_, Daniel," Steve said with a smirk. "Absolutely _stunning_…"

"I didn't miss you at all, jackass," Danny retorted. "Not one bit."

"Duly noted, buddy. And get out of my chair," Steve ordered. There was the distinct sound of feet hitting the ground.

"What? Why would you say that?" his partner sputtered. Steve chuckled.

"Just do it. And wipe the shoe prints off of the desk, too," he said before hanging up on Danny's annoyed response. Steve rubbed a hand over his face as he made his way off the plane.

Welcome back to Hawaii.

* * *

Kono sat at her desk twisting a paperclip into unrecognizable shapes. Well, _mangling_ was probably a better word choice. Things had been uneasy lately with the group dynamic. And she knew that she and Chin played a major role in that. Along with their MIA leader. It was especially hard since things had been relatively quiet, the cases pretty much open and shut without a whole lot of legwork to distract from the obvious.

To say that she and Chin weren't talking would be a major understatement. Her current social life was to blame for it all, of course. Not that it was Chin's, or _anyone's_, business. If she'd known what it would turn into after she confirmed Chin's suspicion about Adam, she never would have said anything. Constant suspicion would have at least been tolerable to the constant anger and disappointment Chin seemed to be aiming at her.

Kono let out a sigh as she tossed the paperclip onto her desk and sat back in her chair. It felt like the whole undercover mess all over again, times ten. She never took Chin's anger and disappointment well. It's the price she paid for looking up to the guy since she could first walk.

Her thoughts were interrupted as Danny exited Steve's office. She could only smirk at the fact that Danny thought he'd get away with that little rearrangement.

"Hop to it, Wonder Woman! Caught a case…" he called out to her. She stood up.

"Really? I was beginning to think that crime had taken a vacation. Jersey, maybe?" she said with a teasing smile. He just made a face at her.

"Ha ha. Everyone's a comedian. Anyway… boss man is back in paradise. He's on his way here. But you need to go take a look at this B&E," Danny said, handing her the police report. She frowned, even as her breath caught at the thought of Steve being back. The group dynamic was about to get _really_ interesting. But first things first…

"A simple breaking and entering? Really?" she asked. This was child's play. Or, HPD that is. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Look at the address," he said. She did, and scoffed.

"The Governor's neighborhood. Now it makes sense. Fine, I'll head over now," she said, going to head back to her desk to grab her badge and gun.

"Take Chin with you," Danny called after her, too much innocence in his voice to really pass as innocent. She only faltered slightly in her step before continuing on.

"Fine." She gave a thumbs up to the other man. Danny shook his head.

"'Fine', she says. _Fine_…" he grumbled.

"Problems?" Chin's voice came from behind him. He whirled around.

"Oh no. No problems. Just a routine B&E. You and Kono have fun," Danny told him. Chin's jaw tightened, but it was barely noticeable. But rather than say anything, he just nodded. Danny shook his head as he watched Chin go to his own desk.

"Crazy kids."

"I heard that," Kono said as she clipped her gun to her belt.

"I don't care. Just go… get outta my hair," Danny told her, waving his hands toward the door. She smirked at him.

"Yes, get out of your perfectly coifed hair," she teased. Danny's eyes widened at her.

"Oh, you're making jokes still? I'll have you know that my hair hasn't been perfectly coifed since McGarrett left. Mostly because of you two," he said, pointing to her and the approaching Chin. "Seriously. If you two don't do your cousin-y hug thing and make up, you're going to make me a bald man."

"I'd not make up just for that fact alone," Kono quipped. Danny gave her a look just as Chin let out a chuckle. Kono looked over at him and he sobered immediately. Danny just raised an eyebrow.

"Progress," he said. "At my expense, but it's still progress."

* * *

The car ride was silent. Not that she'd expected any different. And for two people who could talk about anything with each other- or used to – it was quite painful.

"How's Malia?" She bit first. She really wanted to know, anyway. Chin's hand tightened on the steering wheel.

"Fine." The answer was given like he was chewing glass. Kono sighed. She was done being angry. But the reverse was very obviously not even close to being true.

"Look, Chin… if you want to hate me, fine. I can deal with that." Those words felt like glass in _her_ mouth, but she swallowed anyway. "I'll talk to McGarrett when he gets back. Let him know to keep us off the partner roster. Or… I'll look into a transfer."

There was silence and when Kono looked over to her cousin she saw the pained look. "No. No, don't. I don't hate you, Kono," he said. "I just… I just don't understand you anymore. I don't think I have for a while now."

"I haven't changed, cousin," Kono told him, her own jaw tight. Chin looked sharply at her.

"You have. I blame Fryer for most of it, but yes, you have. And now… _this…_" he spat the last word out as if it was rancid. Kono sighed again. It was a loaded sentence, not even scratching the surface of what truly bothered him, and there was only so much she could defuse effectively. She'd start with the 'this'.

"Adam and I…" she started.

"_Noshimuri_ is _not_ the type of person you should be talking to, Kono!" he gritted out. She let out an angry laugh.

"Talking? Is that the new euphemism for 'sleeping with'? Or are you just purposefully being naïve?" she goaded. If this was going to be a fight, why not go all the way?

His dark eyes were fiery when the snapped over to look at her. "What are you thinking, Kono?!"

_What are you thinking, Kono?_

Oh, she'd heard that one before, just not from Chin.

_I can't_.

This whole situation warranted almost the same response to Chin's emotional, unspoken plea.

"I'm thinking that I'm enjoying the company of a nice, good-looking, successful man who likes me," she said with a nonchalant shrug. Chin's glower deepened.

"Nice? Adam Noshimuri is not a _nice_ man. Yakuza, Kono! He is the heir – and most likely the new head – of the goddamn Yakuza!" he slammed his free hand to the steering wheel. Calm Chin had left the building _and_ booked a flight off the island apparently.

"You forget that he has been running the family's _legitimate_ business in New York for the last eight years," Kono gritted out.

"And why do you think he's suddenly in Hawaii, Kono? Think about it! His father is missing. They have _no_ legitimate business in Hawaii that doesn't have some draw in to the Yakuza…" He let her put two and two together.

"I'm a grown woman, Chin. I can make decisions that _don't_ need approval from you," she said with a dismissing sniff, looking out the window as they pulled up to their destination.

"That's your fallback when you don't have a logical argument, Kono," Chin warned. She shrugged as she opened the door and got out.

"But you can't say it isn't true," she retorted. He let out a small growl of frustration as he, too, got out of the vehicle. That growl turned into a deep frown as he saw who was waiting for them.

"Well, well, well… Hawaii Five-0…"

"You're like a goddamn bad penny," Chin growled. Their welcome wagon just looked amused.

"Someone took your muzzle off, Kelly. Kono, maybe you should try to find that for him?" came the sarcastic response. Kono shook her head.

"Not a good time, Captain Fryer. Perhaps you should both muzzle it?" she told him. He just raised an eyebrow at her, looking even more amused.

"What's Five-0 doing slumming it? Isn't this a little below your league?" he asked. Kono smiled.

"Can say the same for you, can't we?" she asked. Fryer chuckled.

"Touché."

"Slow day," she shrugged. Fryer nodded, a knowing smirk in place.

"Helps it's the high rent district, too, of course," he said, indicating the Governor's mansion just down the street.

"You two done playing nice?" Chin asked, still holding a less-than-minor grudge over the whole UC operation. "We have work to do…"

"Keep your pants on, Lieutenant," the other man said. "I've got two uniforms inside and two more on the perimeter. They've cleared the scene."

"We should…" Chin started, but was cut off as a gunshot rang out. All three drew their weapons and started in towards the house.

"It came from the back yard," Kono said. Chin nodded towards her and she started winding her way around the landscaping, keeping her gun up and eyeing the covering vegetation for hidden suspects. Chin and Fryer kept to her back, following her around the side of the house. Chin gently tapped her on the shoulder letting her know her back was clear. She peeked around the corner and could see a person standing there, back to her. It looked to be an HPD officer, gun in hand. Kono couldn't see anyone else so she slowly stepped around the corner. She raised her gun up higher and slowly inched closer.

"Put your weapon down, Officer. I need to see your hands," she called out, aware that if he startled he could turn and shoot first.

"Kono, there's a body," Chin's voice alerted her. She glanced off of the office for a moment and there was a body in front of him.

"He was going to kill me," the officer mumbled in disbelief, eyes trained on the body in shock. It took him a moment, but he finally held up his hands. Chin moved in quickly, to retrieve the weapon. Fryer came in behind Kono as she approached the fallen officer.

Chin called in an officer down and she leaned down to try and catch a pulse. There wasn't one.

"He's not one of mine," Fryer said. She looked up at him and he had a confused frown on his face, gun still trained on the body.

"What?" she asked. He shook his head.

"That is not a responding officer. I sent Reyes and Morgan on the perimeter. Reyes is the shooter… _that_ is not Morgan…"

Kono stood and raised her weapon. "We've got a problem then. This scene isn't secure…"

Chin relayed the information quickly over the phone before hanging up and raising his own weapon.

"Go. I've got you covered here." Kono nodded and indicated for Fryer to lead the way. He quickly headed over to the open patio door. Scanning the entry quickly, he went in for the left. Kono immediately followed taking the right.

"Clear," Fryer said softly. "Head towards the hallway, I've got your back." Kono nodded as she followed the room around towards where the bedrooms were. She cleared the corner and started down the hallway. There were three bedrooms and a bathroom. Kono indicated she would take the rooms on the left. Fryer nodded and went towards the first on the right.

Kono stepped into the first room. Not a thing was out of place… the only problem was, a dead officer lay just beyond the bed. His throat was slit. She swallowed hard before quickly clearing under the bed and the closet. As she exited the room she caught Fryer's eye. She shook her head and motioned she'd found one officer. He let out a deep breath before nodding to the other two rooms.

Kono found the bathroom clear. She quietly entered the room Fryer was in, lowering her gun as she watched him standing over the bodies of two more officers. All she could think for the moment was that these men had died while they'd all stood outside.

"FIVE-0" a shout came from outside of the room, startling the two of them. It was Steve's voice.

"It's clear!" Kono called back. "We're back here…" Heavy footfalls preceded Steve and Danny's arrival.

"What the hell…" Danny exclaimed as he saw the fallen officers. Steve's eyes caught on Kono's.

"You okay?" he asked. She nodded.

"Chin?" Kono asked back.

"Out back with Lori," he said. She nodded once before holstering her gun. The guys did the same.

"Captain Fryer. Long time, no see," Steve greeted without much fanfare, staring at the other man.

"McGarrett," the other man acknowledged.

"Oh good. The gang's all back together again. Bring on the bad mojo," Danny grumbled.

"What the hell happened here?" Steve asked, looking to Fryer and Kono.

"This was not a simple B&E," Fryer said. Danny scoffed.

"No shit, Sherlock," he spit out before he could censor himself. Steve threw him a look and he just shrugged.

"It wasn't a B&E," Fryer repeated with a glare at Danny. "It was a trap."

Kono swallowed hard as she looked at the two officers again. "A trap for who?"

Fryer shook his head. "I don't know."

* * *

_To be continued…_

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**A/N:** **Well? How was that? I worked hard on that one to get it out for you all ASAP. :)**


	3. Three

**A/N:**** Thank you everyone for such a great response to this! If I haven't been able to thank you personally, please know that I do appreciate each and every comment, follow, and favorite! So, now… try this one on for size…**

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Part Three

* * *

Steve knew it was irrational to want to rip Captain Fryer's head off. Well… _Danny_ would define it as irrational. He, personally, thought it was a perfectly reasonable reaction to seeing the man again so soon after the Delano fiasco. It would have to be at _least _another decade before the urge to punch him again went away.

And now, standing in the Five-0 headquarters with the man and his constant smug attitude was really testing all of Steve's patience and willpower.

The team all stood around the smart table looking up at the screen. A picture of their dead non-cop stared back at them.

"I don't get it, why can't we find anything on this guy?" Danny asked, his frustration finally starting to boil over. "You sure he wasn't one of yours, Fryer?"

The IA captain just gave Danny one of those superior, 'are you an idiot?' looks. Seriously, why couldn't Steve just punch him again? His fingers itched to do so.

"If he was one of _mine_, Detective, don't you think we would have found something on him by now?" Fryer asked. Danny just glared at the patronizing tone. Steve wondered if Danny would relent on the irrationality of ripping off of heads at this point. He'd have to ask later.

"Well, let's think about that, shall we? Considering what you've pulled in the past…" Danny started, but Chin cleared his throat and shook his head, stopping the Jersey boy before he could get on a roll. It was the last thing they needed.

"_So_… we have three dead cops," Kono stated, trying to bring the situation down to a more manageable animosity level. "Benjamin Alohilani, four years with HPD. Partnered with Ricky Laemoa for two of the four years, also deceased. Patrick Morgan, ten years on the force, a former member of the city's drug task force."

"Any connection there?" Steve asked. Kono shook her head.

"Not that I could find. I went through his cases from back then, about seven years ago, all are wrapped up tight and tied with a neat bow. I have a call into a couple of parole officers, but I don't expect to get anything from that except confirmation of what I already know. Since then, there have been no flags in his case files," she said.

"Nothing fishy on Alohilani or Laemoa?" Danny asked. This time Chin shook his head.

"No. The two of them had a pretty uneventful career path until this point. Nothing but their routine traffic stops, an underage bust here and there, some B&E's, other minor calls. They were just two young cops," he said with a shrug.

Lori sighed as she leaned against the smart table. "Two young cops in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What about our sole survivor? What was his name again?" Steve asked.

"Reyes," Kono said, switching the picture on the screen from the John Doe to the officer. "Marcus Reyes. Seven years with the department. Very nearly the same story as Alohilani and Laemoa."

"Nearly?" Danny asked, crossing his arms.

"Clean record, routine calls - small time stuff," Fryer piped up as he looked up at the picture. "His partner, though, had come across a drug deal gone bad a few years back. He'd been able to call it in and take out one of the dealers before he took one to the chest. Died a couple of days later from his wound."

"I remember that," Chin said with a nod. "He'd been off duty at the time. IA had their hands full trying to keep his name clean. The local media had dubbed him a dirty cop, despite there being evidence to the contrary."

Fryer stared at Chin for a long moment before nodding, his gaze flicking over Kono briefly. "Happened to be a lot of dirty cops going around back then." There was an unspoken name that everyone was studiously avoiding mentioning in order to keep the peace. The elephant in the room being Frank Delano. It had all been around the time his IA investigation had taken off, booting him from the force.

"Okay," Steve said, trying to process everything. "So we've got four apparently clean cops and an unidentified dead body. You'd said it was a trap, Fryer. That leads me to the next obvious question. And since everyone's trying so hard not to go there, I will: does Delano have anything to do with this?"

Fryer rubbed a hand over his face before meeting Steve's eyes. "I don't know. Frank's organization was a much larger fish to fry, in all actuality. Taking Frank down didn't necessarily take care of the organization. Kono's undercover had only been one small piece of a very large puzzle…"

"What are you saying?" Chin asked with a frown. Fryer looked back to Kono.

"I'm saying that if I hadn't been over-ridden, Kono would have had a lot more work to do," he said plainly. Steve looked to Kono too. She didn't look surprised, which surprised him. There'd been more to the story than they'd all been privy to. Not that they'd been privy to much… or _anything_ really until the messy end.

"What changed?" Danny asked, not liking that idea either, apparently. Fryer snorted a quick, humorless laugh.

"The Governor…" he started, with a pointed look at Lori. "… didn't want me disrupting the Five-0 dynamic more than it already had been. What he doesn't understand is that Kono is vastly underutilized here. She has a head for undercover and could have _easily_ gotten further into Delano's organization. We could have taken it apart piece by piece."

"So Delano _could_ be involved?" Lori asked, frowning. Fryer just shook his head.

"What do you think, sweetheart?" he asked scathingly. "We _all_ know that once you lop off a head of a major organized unit, another head just grows back in its place. And that's only if the original head isn't playing puppeteer from wherever it's fallen. So _yes_, Delano could very well be involved."

Lori looked like she wanted to bite back at his rude statement, but Steve held up his hand.

"Okay, okay, okay… let's not start jumping to conclusions. We need to look at all of the angles. We haven't necessarily ruled anything out at this point. We need to figure out who John Doe is. And we need to figure out why we can't figure that out. Lori, I need you to do a more in depth trace. He isn't in any system as far as we can tell, not even the DMV. Find out why," he ordered. Lori nodded. Steve turned to Chin.

"I want you to take the Delano angle. Try to find any outgoing communications from him. He may be locked up, but that doesn't mean he's silent. Check his visitor logs, check his associates and _their_ communications…"

"I'll take the Delano angle, Boss," Kono spoke up. All noise ceased to exist at that point. A pin could be heard hitting the floor as all eyes were suddenly on her. It didn't seem to bother her. She shrugged. "It makes the most sense. I know Delano. I know his associates. Chin would be wasting time trying to make the connections that I already know."

Fryer smirked as he looked over at Steve. "Kono's right, McGarrett." Steve clenched his jaw as it was on the tip of his tongue to tell Fryer where to go. Instead, he just stared at Kono.

"Danny goes with you," he finally relented. Kono just smirked.

"Don't trust me, boss?" she asked. Steve opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off by Fryer's laughter. He turned to look at the man, who was looking right back at him.

"What?" he asked, frown fully in place. Fryer held up his hands.

"Nah, not saying a thing. I'm staying out of it. Gonna save myself from the inevitable punch," he said.

"Keep that in mind since you and I are going to talk to the owners of the house. They just got back from their vacation," Steve told him. Fryer looked heavenward before shaking his head.

"Oh _good_. This should be fun," the IA captain said sardonically. Danny grinned.

"See, I'm not the only one. Might want to grab another layer of Kevlar, Captain," he warned. Steve rolled his eyes.

"Not everyone is as sensitive as you, Danno," he said. Danny looked shocked.

"Sen… _sensitive_? I am not…"

"Hey. We've got some work to be doing. Let's do it, huh?" Steve interrupted. "Chin, I need you to follow-up with Reyes. And maybe talk to Morgan's widow as well." The other man nodded and Lori was the first to break off, going to start her search for a needle in a haystack. Danny muttered about having to call Grace before heading out, and Chin quickly started pulling up information he would need on the smart table.

"Kono?" Steve caught her attention. "A minute?" She nodded as she followed him to his office.

"Don't worry about me, I'll just entertain myself here," Fryer called to the two of them. Steve rolled his eyes and shook his head. The sooner he got that man out of his day to day life, the better for everyone. He closed the door behind them.

"Howzit, Boss?" Kono asked casually.

"What else haven't you told me, Kono?" Steve asked with no fanfare. She arched a brow.

"What makes you think I haven't told you everything?" she asked. He tilted his head to give her a look. The fact that she asked that question in the first place wasn't a big flag or anything. Her time undercover had honed her evasiveness and emotional response, he'd seen that change almost immediately. But she was still Kono, and he still knew who she was underneath all of that.

"The fact that you weren't surprised at Fryer's original plan for you tells me there's a lot more to the story than you care to share," he said. Kono shrugged.

"It was personal," she said. Steve huffed a frustrated breath at the casual declaration.

"That whole fucking _thing_ was personal, in case you've completely forgotten," he said. Kono glared at him.

"Don't I know it," she spit out. Nothing got more personal than your name being smeared in the media and among your team. He stared at her for a few seconds more before letting out a breath. Things were starting to click in his head as he put what he knew then together with what he knew now.

"Fryer's been trying to recruit you, hasn't he?" he concluded. She didn't say anything as she stared back at him. He knew he was right. Fryer had thrown around a few words here and there to tip him off. Underestimate… Underutilized… It had been a covert sales pitch since day one, if Steve really thought about it. It also explained to some extent why Fryer hadn't wanted to loop Five-0 in on the whole mess – the man knew there were no leaks in the Governor-vetted task force.

"It had been mentioned as a way to get my badge back. And… there've been a few calls over the past couple of weeks," Kono finally admitted.

"What have _you_ said?" He wasn't sure he wanted to know the answer as he watched her shrug.

"I told Fryer that I had some things here that required my attention. Doesn't stop him from asking though," she said, giving him a long look. "Have you located Hiro Noshimuri?"

He fought the urge to smile. Kono Kalakaua wasn't one to mince words or tiptoe around a sensitive subject. But that very subject sobered him quickly.

"Are you kidding? I couldn't even get a hold of Joe," he told her. Kono nodded but didn't say anything.

"What about Adam Noshimuri?" he asked in return.

"I… uh… I couldn't get anything through him. He's notoriously tight-lipped and careful," she said quickly, meeting his eyes. "There's been nothing I could even remotely link to Joe or Hiro." Steve nodded. It was as he suspected.

"Okay. We'll still keep an eye on him, but I'm going to have to try to find another connection. If I could just catch a trail somewhere… Joe's too good at this. And he'll have the Yakuza hunting him down if we can't find Hiro," he sighed. Kono shifted and looked out the office door.

"Anyway… I should probably go corral Danny before he starts nipping at Fryer's heels," she said, with a small smile. Steve smiled back. She turned to go, but turned back quickly and met his gaze.

"Listen… I'm sorry for pretty much demanding to take over the Delano lead," she said. Steve nodded.

"You were right. It makes sense that you're the one to do that. It's just…" he stopped, not really knowing what to say. _It's just still too fresh. The shock, the confusion, the anger… the fear._ Kono smiled as if she could hear the thoughts.

"Don't worry, Boss. I eat guys like Delano for breakfast," she said, the dimple in her cheek contrasting the bravado. Steve chuckled as he straightened to follow her out of the office.

"If you can handle Fryer, I don't doubt it," he told her.

* * *

_Halawa Correctional Facility  
O'ahu_

"I'd like to go on record saying that I'm not quite sure I agree with this plan," Danny said as he pulled the Camaro into the visitor's parking. Kono gave him a smile as she unclipped the seatbelt.

"I've heard your uncertainty," she said. Then she wiggled her eyebrows. "And I raise you a 'why not just go to the source?'" Danny shut the car off and stared at his hands on the steering wheel.

"I know I make the jokes about it. But I'm going to say this as serious as I can," he said, looking over to her. "Stop… taking… pages… from… McGarrett's… playbook. You're developing a bad habit." She just laughed as she pushed open the door. When he didn't move to get out, she bent down to look into the car.

"Coming?" Danny put his hands together in a pleading motion at her question.

"Please?" He even added a pout. She shook her head with a mock pout of her own and shut the door. Danny quickly opened his door and got out.

"You know, Chin and Lori are the reasonable ones. I… well, I am the _King_ of Reasonable. And they are my reasonable minions. Why I get stuck with the unreasonable 40% of the team 90% of the time, I don't know," he grumbled as they made their way into the gates.

"I'm impressed by your averages, brah," Kono told him, pulling out her identification for the guards. Danny followed suit.

"We in Jersey are not just good-looking," he said. When she looked back at him he gave her a quick air kiss and wink. Kono just chuckled as they were ushered inside.

"I would never assume as much," she teased. They stopped at the guard station and checked in their weapons. Danny looked around as they were handed their visitor badges.

"I hate coming here. The ambiance here is very… 'please visit us, then go home and blow your brains out'," he said. Kono smirked as the guard led them to their room.

"I'm sure the interior decorator makes government wages, just like us," she said. But she too studied the cinder block walls. "But if you ask nicely, maybe they'll let you send some Bieber posters to liven up the place."

Danny chuckled evilly. "Now _that_ would be a punishment befitting nearly all of the crimes in here."

"Just wait until Grace catches on," Kono warned. "You will never recover from the girly screaming."

"Perish the thought, I beg of you," he said as he reached out and pulled one of the chairs away from the table. Kono pulled out the other chair and sat down. It wasn't more than a couple of minutes later that the door opened again.

"Kono, Kono, Kono. It's so _nice_ to see your lovely face again," Frank Delano purred as he was led into the room, hands shackled in front of his body. She just scoffed from her seat.

"Orange is _so_ not your color, Frank. You look… pale. How are those bullet holes healing, by the way?" Kono asked, nodding to his already healed shoulder. He narrowed his eyes as he sat down across from her. Danny decided to jump in before things got too out of hand.

"Save the predictable threats, Slick. We're here to ask you a few questions," he said. Delano gave Kono one more long look before looking over to the other man.

"I assumed as much, Detective Williams, as I couldn't imagine this being a social call," he drawled, a sarcastic smile on his face. Danny just smiled back.

"I am _so_ sending you a dozen Bieber posters," he told the man. Kono quickly pulled a picture up on her phone. She turned the screen to Delano so he could see their John Doe.

"Recognize this guy at all?" she asked. Delano leaned forward to get a better look. He studied it for a moment or two before shaking his head.

"Can't say that I do," he sat back. "That was easy. We done?" Danny narrowed his eyes.

"Not quite." This time he held up a picture on his phone. Delano rolled his eyes before he leaned closer again.

"Ahhh. That's Officer Morgan," he said. He lifted his shackled hands to let his index finger touch his nose. "I got that one right, I know." He winked at Danny.

"Know why anyone would want him dead?" Kono asked. Delano sat back in his seat again and looked over at her.

"He's dead? Such a shame," he said, his insincerity very apparent. Kono wasn't surprised at his general lack of humanity. She'd been a part of it for a while.

"He's dead and so are two other officers," she told him. Delano just looked bored.

"You want me to try to identify just _one_ person who wants to see people in uniform dead? You realize that would be a very long list, right? C'mon, Kono. I thought you were smarter than this. After all, you're Vince's prize pupil, right?" he scolded.

"So you're saying that you've got nothing," Danny summed up. Delano just smirked.

"Nothing that would help you, Detective. We done now? I'm missing my TV show."

"You know, Frank, I would have thought that getting caught would have humbled you a little bit," Kono commented as she sat back and watched him. Delano watched her right back.

"You know, Kono…" he mocked back. "It's funny what kind of circles you're running in. You played the part of dirty cop _so_ well. I wonder if it's beginning to become natural to you." Danny frowned in confusion.

"What's that supposed to mean, huh?" he asked. Kono shook her head as she leaned both elbows onto the table, staring at the man in front of her.

"Being a dirty cop, being _you_, will never be natural to me. I'm a cop. Period. A part of Five-0 and the group that took _you_ down. We'll continue to do that until there are no more of _you_ left," she growled at him. Delano smiled again.

"I love an optimist." There was a threat hanging in there somewhere, both Kono and Danny knew it. Whether he was involved in their current case or not, he was still someone they would have to keep their eye on. Fryer was right. A head never went away…

* * *

_Five-0 Headquarters_

He disconnected the call and sat back in the chair with a huff. She wasn't answering. Danny had returned to headquarters from Halawa about 30 minutes ago without Kono. When he'd asked where she was, Danny had told him that as soon as they'd parked she'd been out of the car and right into hers cheerfully saying she had to meet someone.

Chin Ho Kelly was a man who learned from his mistakes. And with Delano and Fryer back in the mix again – the ghost of the undercover operation still very fresh – he knew he would be making another huge mistake if he didn't have a quick heart to heart with McGarrett.

So, he sat in the man's office, waiting for him and Fryer to get back from questioning the family. Lori kept throwing questioning looks his way, but he ignored her. The last thing he needed was her interference. Especially when he questioned her loyalty to Five-0 outside of one Steve McGarrett – which was another landmine entirely. Ever since Fryer dropped the bombshell about what the extended plans for Kono had been, Chin had wondered at the blonde's involvement in the planning. She had the Governor's ear, _especially_ in terms of Five-0. It was why Lori was there in the first place and it would be highly unlikely that she _hadn't_ known about the undercover operation at some point in its duration… and that worried him.

His thoughts on the subject were interrupted as he heard Fryer loudly enter the building.

"All I'm saying, McGarrett, is that maybe the soft skills chapter in your little Navy handbook or whatever could use a little updating, you know?"

Chin could see the Five-0 commander shrug. "It got the questions answered, didn't it? And yours weren't much better." Fryer shook his head with a chuckle.

"Next to you, I look like a goddamn teddy bear," he said. Steve looked appalled at the thought. He was about to say something until his gaze caught on Chin's location. He waved off Fryer as he entered his office.

"What's going on, Chin?" Steve asked as he closed the door behind him. Chin cleared his throat uncomfortably as he let Steve settle back in.

"I learned a lesson that day we opened fire on Kono, Steve. I learned that no matter how much I want to, I can't worry about her and protect her in the same way. The only reason I _didn't_ come to you right away was because, at that point, it wasn't Five-0 business. She was no longer with us in that capacity. And she is _Kono_. She is my family, Five-0 or not. I thought I could handle it on my own. I didn't realize… well, there were a lot of things I didn't realize, but…" Chin stopped. He swallowed hard.

"Chin?" Steve asked, a concerned look on his face.

"I didn't realize how deep it _could_ get without me even being aware," Chin concluded. His eyes met Steve's. "There were a lot of things I learned that day. But that was the main one. And that's why I'm here."

"What's going on? Where's Kono?" Steve asked. Chin took a deep breath.

"Adam Noshimuri," he said. The other man's eyes went wide for a moment before he schooled his face into Danny's often mentioned 'aneurysm face'.

"Listen Chin…" he started, crossing his arms and leaning back against his desk. "I… I asked her to keep tabs on Noshimuri while I was gone. She hasn't gotten much from him, and I don't think she will. I'm looking for a different angle on that, so you don't have to worry."

Chin's eyes flashed in anger as he stood. "_You?_ You _asked_ her?" Now he was starting to understand some of the evasiveness she seemed to employ in their arguments.

"Chin, it wasn't anything overt. If it makes you feel better, I'll pull her back. Danny can track him," Steve said. This time, it all finally clicked as to what was going on and Chin let out a harsh chuckle of understanding. His little cousin was getting good at fooling people.

"I'd really like to see you try that Steve," he said, giving the other man a wry look. "I don't think it's going to be as simple as asking her to pull back."

"What do you mean?" The look on the commander's face told Chin that the man didn't have a single clue as to what had happened while he was gone.

"Steve…" He stopped. There wasn't really anything he could say, that he _wanted_ to say. So, he gently laid the manila folder he had with him on Steve's desk. He looked at the folder and then up at Steve. "I was worried. She was always busy, not answering her phone, or needing to go someplace. It was an abrupt change and similar to what happened with Fryer. So, I had her followed. I'm not proud of it… but it appears I was right to be concerned."

Steve looked down at the folder, surprisingly hesitant to pick it up. "What is it?"

Chin shook his head. "It'll tell you everything. Everything that I can't." He got up and left.

* * *

_To be continued…_


	4. Four

**A/N:**** Thanks again for everyone's wonderful response to this! It's very encouraging. This update took a little bit simply due to real life, unfortunately. I hope to continue the fairly decent writing schedule over the holidays as well so I can keep up the pace! I know, I know… Enough with my rambling, on to the story…**

* * *

Part Four

* * *

_Five-0 Headquarters_

Steve sat at his desk and stared at the pictures fanned out in front of him. Chin had been true to his word. He'd had someone track Kono just as she'd tracked Adam Noshimuri. And what Steve saw… well, it wasn't anything he'd expected. Now, he understood what had been the cause of Danny's concern regarding Chin and Kono. He wished he didn't.

It was late and he'd sent everyone home hours ago. It was only when he was alone that he felt brave enough to open the folder on his desk that had taunted him since the moment Chin had left it there.

Steve rubbed a hand over his face as he sat back in his chair. He would be the first to admit that he didn't handle emotional responses well. And he would likely be the last to admit that his response to the undercover operation all those weeks ago had been _all_ emotional, just as he'd told Kono it had been _all_ personal. It hadn't gone well for him... interrogation had been the moment when his control had regrettably snapped, letting his fear get the best of him. Yet Kono had been the one to keep the level head amid it all. She'd been the one to point out all of the obvious – her standing in the operation that would keep Tricia Joyner alive, the fact that Delano would spot any tail or wire on her… those were all things that he _knew_ and would understand in most circumstances. But in that one particular circumstance, he just couldn't _comprehend_ it. There'd been a lot of static noise in his head since the moment Chin had first told him about opening fire on Kono's getaway care. He hadn't been in control at all, and that was very unfamiliar to him. If he was in control, she would be safe. At least, that's the rationale he kept telling himself.

It was what was keeping him from making his response to this new situation an emotional one. Because she _wasn't_ safe and he needed that control. He was absolutely certain of that. Where her level head had been keenly present and obvious in Fryer's undercover operation… _this_ situation he could feel that Kono's usually very level head was compromised as he looked down at the pictures again.

A picture of Adam and Kono at a cozy dinner. A picture of a sweet kiss on what was their room balcony. A picture of them talking closely in an empty hallway, much too closely to just be acquaintances. There were multiple other pictures of multiple other encounters.

Rather than go with his first gut response – _anger_ and something else that he'd just begun to wonder at – he decided to look at everything with his investigator's eyes.

The fact that these pictures were time-elapsed over a couple of weeks from a regular hotel and _not_ the Noshimuri compound told Steve more than just the obvious. It also gave credence to Kono's comment of "notoriously tight-lipped and careful." It all told him that Noshimuri seemed to want to protect Kono as well. The man didn't want her involved in Noshimuri business. And that meant things were more personal than Steve wanted to believe. It meant that there were some sort of feelings involved.

What Adam hadn't seemed to realize – but Steve could – was that if _Chin_ could keep track of his whereabouts this easily, _anyone_ could. And that meant that whatever protection Adam was trying to provide was, in effect, useless. Kono was now a known presence in Adam Noshimuri's life. In Yakuza business. And that meant her life was in danger. Again. This time, at his urging. Granted, his surprisingly naïve urging… but his urging nonetheless.

Looking at a picture of Adam and Kono, of a moment of very genuine affection, Steve could only guess that either Kono didn't realize that… or she didn't care. Neither one of the options sat well with him.

The chirp and buzz of his cell phone alerted him to an incoming call. Steve glanced over at the screen and saw the name "Cath" pop up. Usually, talking with Catherine was a bright spot in a day. It came with years of familiarity and the knowledge of the unpredictability of their schedules. But right now, it was truly at the bottom of the list of things he wanted to do. With a particularly brutal curse at himself, he reached over and hit ignore. He'd talk to her in the morning.

Steve quickly looked over the pictures once more before putting them all neatly back in the unassuming manila folder. There were going to be problems. That was readily apparent the moment he'd seen Chin sitting alone in his office again. But, they had bigger problems at the moment.

* * *

_Next Morning  
O'ahu Cemetery_

The sight of the flag draped coffin always got to her. It had been that way since she was a kid and one of her distant cousins had been killed in a car wreck while on duty. The sadness of it all was so pervasive she'd felt it down to the bone even then…

Suffice it to say, police funerals were pretty much the low of any day, week, month… year. Today, there were _three_ of them. In the nearly two years out of the academy, she'd been lucky enough to not have to perform this particular heartbreaking duty. Until now.

Five-0 stood with the rest of the Honolulu Police Department, dressed in their dress blues, to salute their fallen comrades. Out of the corner of her eye, Kono saw Catherine Rollins standing stoically between Steve and Danny, decked in her Navy dress whites. It had taken the Five-0 group by surprise when she'd shown up this morning. While Kono was appreciative of the woman's respect for the fallen policemen, she tried her best to try to avoid interaction with the woman. It wasn't that she _disliked_ Catherine, per say. It was just that there always seemed to be some sort of awkward forcefulness when they did meet, a want for decent conversation. And Kono could pick a subject out of the sky with pretty much everybody, which is what she found most odd.

When the first shot of the three-volley salute rang out, it took her by surprise and couldn't help the small flinch. Chin nudged her elbow from her side and she looked up. There was concern there, even amid the censure, and she quirked her lip up in a split second of a smile to reassure him. He nodded tightly and looked back to where the rifle team finished their last shot. Kono caught a similar expression on Steve's face as he looked over at her. When his eyes dropped before refocusing on what _should_ have their attention, Kono realized that he knew. And she knew how he knew. She grit her teeth to keep from turning to glare at Chin. Her anger at her cousin was so sudden and unexpected that it took all her willpower to get it under control.

It was when others around her started walking by her that she realized that the funeral had come to a close. Kono swallowed hard as she watched the devastated families gather around their loved ones caskets in a moment of private grief. She took off her cap and tried to gather her wayward emotions together again.

"We should go," Chin said from her side, touching her elbow. The anger was still simmering underneath the surface, though.

"Traitor," Kono bit out to her cousin through clenched teeth. Chin turned to look at her with surprise before his face calmed into his usual expression. He was a smart guy. It didn't take long for him to realize what she was referring to. He let out a breath.

"Kono…" She didn't want to hear it, though. She spun on her heel and started walking away. The ghost of Chin's fingers just missing grabbing her arm didn't even make her pause. Kono just continued walking away, not even staying to say anything to the rest of the team. Without a second thought, she pulled out her cell phone. As she neared her car, her finger hesitated over the dial button.

"Kono!" a voice called. Recognizing it, she slipped her phone back into her pocket and turned to the owner.

"Captain," she answered back as Fryer approached. He didn't say anything until he reached her side.

"Thought you should know… I've had a tail for most of the day," he told her, shoving his hands into his pockets. Kono tilted her head.

"A tail?" she asked, confused. Then she thought about it. "Delano…" Fryer nodded. She tried to surreptitiously look around. Fryer smiled.

"You won't find him around the edges. He was in the mix," he told her, pointing a thumb over his shoulder towards the crowd of police officers.

"What?"

"He was in uniform. I'm pretty sure he slipped away by now, but he was there," Fryer said with a shake of his head.

"You're not just getting paranoid now, are you?" Kono asked. Fryer rolled his eyes.

"Hard to be paranoid when the guy is staring right at you for 20 minutes," he said.

"Think Delano's spooked? Or is it revenge?" Kono asked. Fryer shrugged.

"Don't know. But… my gut tells me he's involved in these killings somehow. I don't know how, or how deep. It could be he's after revenge too. We did send him to prison. And Frank isn't one to _not_ hold a grudge," he said.

"Great," Kono muttered. When her phone buzzed, she didn't even need to look at the caller ID to know who it was. _Adam_… She looked back to Fryer. "Well, I'll leave you to tell the boss the latest update. Better you than me."

"You're a real pal," Fryer told her, looking over his shoulder to where Steve stood. Fryer turned back to look at Kono. "Question out of pure curiosity…"

"Those never go well," she warned. He just smiled.

"Anything between you and McGarrett?" he asked bluntly, no sugar coating and regardless of the consequences. Kono resisted the immediate urge to look back to where the Five-0 commander stood with the rest of the team. Even not looking she could tell that he, Chin and Danny were trying very hard to not be curious by her conversation.

"Nope," she said lightly. "Not sure why you'd ask that question." Fryer chuckled.

"Like I said, pure curiosity. That whole undercover operation… it just seemed…" he stopped and shook his head. He chuckled again. "And why would you tell an IA guy anyway?" The question was obviously rhetorical. "But, just so you know… transfer option is still open." With that he gave her a sly wink before turning to go let the rest of the team in on his most recent discovery.

Kono watched him go for a few minutes, and when she caught Chin's eye she turned back around and resumed her trek to her car. She wanted to chuckle at Fryer's new recruiting tactic, but there was that pit in her stomach feeling that kept her from doing so. Instead, she pulled the phone out from her pocket and dialed a quick number. She smiled when the familiar voice came on the line.

"Hi. Sorry, we just finished. You busy?"

* * *

_Ehukai Beach  
Banzai Pipeline - North Shore  
Later that day_

Kono lay on her surfboard in the water and watched as some of the locals tried to tame the famous pipeline. Back in the day, she would have been just as eager to try out the testing waves, but now, she was content to be a part of the water, wherever that may be.

"Quitting on me already?" a voice asked from her side. She smiled before she looked over at Adam as he straddled his own surfboard. The sun was just beginning to set behind her and it cast him in a warm orange glow as he smiled back at her.

"Nah, brah… just relaxing. I'm glad you suggested coming here. A day out of Honolulu was just what I needed," she said. He paddled closer to her and leaned close for a quick kiss. He pulled back and studied her for a moment.

"You're in your element here," he commented. She smiled.

"Water and I have always gotten along. You, on the other hand," she teased. "You could use a few more lessons." He grinned.

"Yeah, well, surfing isn't _quite_ as popular on the Hudson River. New York City is a long way from Hawaii and it's been a long while since I'd been on a board," he told her. Kono sat up and straddled her board as well.

"I'm glad you came out with me," she told him appreciatively. None of the other men she'd seen in the past had ever really given her passion much thought beyond how she'd looked in a bikini. Adam had actually been very enthusiastic when suggesting they do this, about wanting to re-learn how to manage a board after being away for so long. He watched her for a moment.

"Like I said, you're in your element. I didn't want to miss that," he said seriously, his dark gaze holding hers. Then he smiled, a teasing glint in his eye. "And I'd totally miss the stunning view of you in that bikini from the shore…" Kono laughed as she reached out and splashed him with water. Typical man, underneath it all. Adam reached out and grabbed her wrist playfully, tugging her closer and finally reaching out with both arms to pull her onto his board. She laughed into his kiss as he gently nipped at her lips. With a sigh, Kono wrapped her arms around his neck and let herself sink into the moment of being in his arms.

A few catcalls from passing surfers as they rode the gentle waves back into the beach for the night broke into the private moment. When Adam pulled back, his eyes roamed over her face happily. Kono smiled back, keeping her arms loosely wrapped around his neck.

"Dinner on the beach?" she asked. "Then…"

Adam smiled at her regretfully. "Then you've got to get back. I know." Kono nodded. She knew that he needed to get back to Honolulu as well. There was only so much of the real world they could avoid. Adam knew her job. And she knew his. It hadn't ever been a secret between them, but an obstacle to maneuver around.

"Hey," Adam called her softly before she could transfer back to her own board to begin the paddle back to shore. She looked at him. "I'm glad that when we're together, I'm just Adam and you're just Kono."

Kono grinned, her dimple peeking out. "Who else would we be?" With a quick kiss, she extracted herself from him and pushed herself onto her board. She knew the question was rhetorical, because Adam Noshimuri wasn't just _Adam_. And Kono Kalakaua wasn't just _Kono_. But for a while, they could escape and just _be_. It was nice they could do that.

Back on dry land there were icons on their waiting phones indicating they both couldn't avoid real life for much longer.

* * *

_The next day_

"Where the hell were you yesterday?" Danny asked as Kono walked into headquarters. She frowned at him.

"I'm sorry. Did I miss something? I thought I had a day off. So I took it," she snapped back at him. "What crawled up your butt? And by the way? Leaving me four messages to 'call you'? You've got to do better than that." Danny scoffed.

"And you _didn't_ call me," he reminded her. Kono smiled as she walked to her office. Danny, predictably, followed on her heels.

"I didn't get back to town until late, Danny. It would have been pointless to call you at two in the morning," she said. Danny frowned.

"Two? A.M?" he asked. Kono raised an eyebrow.

"That would be the designation for morning, yes, Danny," she told him.

"You realize I had to deal with a crabby McGarrett _and_ a crabby Chin Ho, right? Not to mention Lori, who couldn't help but ask questions about it, all day long?" he asked her. Kono rolled her eyes. She had a feeling she knew why both men were crabby. And she knew that Lori's questioning of Steve and her cousin would only agitate them more. Which would clearly agitate one Danny Williams even _more_. Had to be a fun day. She was sorry she missed it.

"If that's the only reason why you're in here complaining, I'm sure we've got better things to do," she reminded him. He eyed her for a moment.

"Reyes is dead," he said with no preamble. Her head snapped up from the report she was reading to look at him.

"What?"

"That's what I was calling about. We got the call about 7:00pm last night. He's dead, and so is his girlfriend. Shot in their apartment," he said, hands in his pockets as he leaned against the door frame. Kono frowned.

"A hit to finish the job?" she asked. Danny nodded.

"That's our current theory," he told her. Kono rubbed a hand over her face.

"Shit," she muttered. When Danny didn't say anything in return, she looked over at him. He was studying her. Kono frowned. "What?" The man pursed his lips as he stepped further into her office and closed the door. Not that anyone was really there yet to overhear their conversation. It was precautionary…

"What's going on?" he asked seriously. Her eyes narrowed.

"What do you mean?" Danny rolled his eyes.

"Don't bullshit me, Kono. I know something's going on. First, you and Chin. And now Steve's all squirrelly," he said. Danny held up a hand to ward off her inevitable response to his description of their boss. "The point is I thought we were friends, not just co-workers. I thought we could talk." Kono let out a small huff of exasperation.

"Really? You're playing that card?" she asked, hoping to deflect a bit. Danny walked closer to her desk and clutched at the chair in front of it.

"YES! Yes, I'm playing _that_ card, Kono. Because I don't want what happened with the Fryer incident to happen again, okay? That was too close," he said. He let out a breath. "I thought whatever it's been this time would get handled. I thought Chin would get this figured out, or Steve, because when it comes to dealing with that confrontation thing they have the switch to turn off the emotion. I admit, they're better at it than me. But now…"

Kono came around her desk and reached out to grip Danny's shoulders at his sudden troubled look. Her team was important to her, and she hadn't realized how much her operation with Fryer had shaken everyone. They'd been so good at not talking about it that she'd figured everyone had just simply moved on. But now their heightened reactions to her behaviors and actions were telling her differently. It simultaneously broke and warmed her heart.

"Danny, it's nothing to worry about, okay? Chin and I… we had a bit of a disagreement," she told him, dropping her arms to her side. "And Steve? He's just over-reacting. He'll be fine in a day or two."

"So you're not going to tell me?" he asked. Kono looked to the ground and shook her head. She hated herself for it, but she needed to not have Danny angry at her too. It was selfish, she knew. And frankly, her _not_ telling him could make him just as angry if she _did_ tell him.

"Okay," he said. Kono looked up at him in shock. He didn't look angry, he didn't look disappointed. He just looked a little sad. "_If_ you want to tell me, I will listen."

Kono nodded, a grateful smile on her face. "I know, Danny. And I'll keep that in mind. Thank you."

Danny nodded too. He was about to say something back but his cell phone interrupted.

"Williams," he answered. Kono watched as the blond man nodded. "Alright. Kono's here with me, we'll head over there. See you in fifteen."

"What's up?" she asked. Danny let out a breath.

"There's been another break-in. This time, the family _was_ home. Same M.O., same neighborhood…" he said.

"Shit," she said softly.

"Yeah. Steve and Lori are already on scene. Chin is en route. I told Steve we'd meet them there," he said. Kono nodded.

"Let's go."

* * *

_Noshimuri Compound_

Adam paced in his office as two of his bodyguards stood at attention at the door. He knew instinctively that things weren't going well and it made him nervous. When the phone finally rang, he was wound pretty tight.

"Hello?" he answered.

"You've been sloppy," the voice on the other end told him. Adam shook his head, denying it even to himself.

"I haven't. I've been careful," he said.

"No, you haven't, Mr. Noshimuri. There are things that depend on your cooperation and so far you've done an excellent job. But now, things are beginning to be noticed," the voice said.

"You're the only one that knows about her…"

"No, Mr. Noshimuri. I am _not_ the only one. You need to tighten up your movements and your organization. Otherwise I will be forced to take care of the problem myself. Do we understand each other?" It was asked pleasantly, but Adam knew better.

"We do."

"Good. You will hear from me again." The phone disconnected and Adam pocketed the cell phone. It wouldn't have mattered if he'd asked _when_… It simply wasn't up to him.

For a brief, fleeting moment, Adam's mind went back to the North Shore. It had been the calmest, happiest day he'd experienced to date. And it made his heart ache to know that it might be the _only_ calm, happy day he would have for a long while.

* * *

**A/N:**** Sorry all, this one didn't turn out quite like I had envisioned, but hopefully it got across what I'd wanted to get across. ;) We'll see what you think. I'd also hoped it would be longer, but I think that may come with the next update as things unfold a bit more. Anyways, as expected: to be continued…**


	5. Five

**A/N: Alright, y'all. Sorry for the delay between updates. And now, the excuses… Reason 1: Holidays, etc. Reason 2: Real life has been heading in a gentle left turn for a while, but recently that left turn has become a little sharper as things have progressed. It is very likely I will be relocating out of the country in the next 5 or so months, so preparations for this huge change have needed to begin. I'm not quite sure yet what that means for all of this in regards to frequent updates. Reason 3: It also didn't help that my head spun the plot around and basically shook it up with a new idea. Had to calm myself before I let it get away from me. I think I may have decided on a slightly different direction to this, but the differences will be fairly minor (in execution) from what I'd originally outlined. Should be fun! Hopefully, you'll all continue to like it. Anyway – a fairly short chappie, but I wanted to get something out. Cheers!**

* * *

Five

* * *

_Beretania Street, Honolulu_

To say their destination was a house was an understatement. Kono mentally scoffed as she realized her little house could fit in the main foyer of the place that they were now approaching.

The Camaro pulled up behind a couple of waiting squad cars, which finally slowed Danny's gushing about Grace's school play… that he'd seen three times. Kono couldn't help but smile at the very obvious doting the divorced father did. Grace was a lucky little girl to have such an attentive father, especially in the after effects of a broken marriage. When she opened her mouth to tell him as such, Danny let out a frustrated curse. Kono gave him a quick raised brow before turning to look at what he'd spotted.

"Goddamn Fryer… he's a bad freakin' penny," the man growled. Kono looked at Fryer as he was directing some of the younger officers and then turned to look back at Danny. The conversation they'd had earlier very fresh in her mind, she realized just how in the dark she was keeping him. Chin and Steve were involved of their own accord and knew what they knew what they did mostly by what could be construed as accident. She'd have chosen to not tell them just as she was with Danny… Kono may not be ready to read him in on everything yet, but she could give her friend something.

"Danny…" she called his attention. He looked over at her with a frown. As he watched her bite her lip in apprehension, his face smoothed out.

"What's up?" he asked, the casualness of the question covering his concern. Kono smiled.

"Fryer offered me a job," she told him. It wasn't much to offer, but it was all she could rationalize in her brain to tell him at this time. Danny's casualness transformed into confusion… then revulsion as his face pinched up in a grimace.

"And you're _thinking_ about it?" he asked with his usual spastic composure when dealing with ridiculous actions. He'd had some practice with it, after all. Kono let out a chuckle.

"Some days," she admitted with a shrug. Danny opened his mouth to say something, but it suddenly hit him that she'd voluntarily offered this tidbit and closed his mouth again. He smiled.

"Well then, I'll just have to do my best to convince you that it would be the wrong decision," he told her before shoving open the Camaro door and getting out. Kono grinned, beyond grateful that the man let the subject simmer where it was instead of going after it like a dog with a bone. It was rare he did that – with the exception of it _never_ happening with Steve – so she took it and wouldn't look the gift horse in the mouth. Quickly gathering her professionalism back after the personal turn of the morning, Kono opened her door too and followed the other man towards the house.

The two nodded at one of the awaiting officers in greeting as they approached.

"You head in," Danny told her. "I'll go touch base with Fryer." Kono smiled.

"Don't let him recruit you," she warned him as he veered in the captain's direction. Danny rolled his eyes as he waved her off. Kono walked into the foyer, her eyes scanning the entrance for any sign of forced entrance, even though she knew that would have already been catalogued. Chin looked up from where he was crouched taking a picture of a partial footprint. The look he threw her told her _I know who you were with yesterday and I'm not happy_. She just looked back at him, nonplussed, before heading back towards the living area. As she entered the spacious area, she saw Steve and Lori talking with two of the uniformed officers. Lori didn't pay her any attention, but Kono caught the look from her boss. This one said _We're going to talk later._

Internally, Kono shrugged. It wasn't like it _wasn't_ going to come out at some point. She'd just hoped that it would have been later than _now_… much later. But she was nothing if not adaptable. She spared the now-approaching Danny a quick look as he entered the area at her back. The man was frowning… which was a given considered Fryer's abrasive attitude. Maybe she _should_ just tell him all about it, save herself the inevitable grief when it all exploded. She gave herself a quick mental note to do just that when she had another moment alone with the detective as much as she hated giving up a semi-ally in the whole mess.

"So?" Kono asked. Steve nodded to the officers quickly and approached Kono and Danny.

"Ronald and Susan Riley. Age 49 and 47 respectively. Two kids, Jade and Lilah, aged 12 and 10. Silent alarm went off at 9:30pm last night. It was silenced 22 seconds later. When the alarm company called Mr. Riley to verify everything was alright, the man had been woken up. _He_ hadn't turned the alarm off," Steve started.

"Riley did a check of the house to ensure everything was alright. The perp must have hid as he did the check. Thinking things were okay, Riley must have started back up the stairs and the perp got him from behind. Baseball bat didn't do him any good…" Kono concluded as she eyed the body bag Max was currently attending. A Louisville Slugger sat a few feet away, where it had rolled in the attack. There was not a defensive mark on it. Steve nodded at her assessment. Danny let out a sigh.

"The wife followed after a while, checking on _him_… only to have the same thing happen," he said sadly, eyeing the other body bag.

"Our guy knew there were kids here. He went all the way upstairs to find them," Steve noted, eyeing the ceiling. Danny ran a hand over his face, knowing how that story ended.

"Jesus," he muttered.

Kono frowned. "So what are the connections between these families besides the neighborhood? It's obviously not robbery-oriented. Nothing so far has seemed to be missing – no safe cracking, no jewelry missing, cars all in their garages, electronics all in place. And why miss the first family by vacation, but kill the second family as they were home?"

"That's what we've got to figure out. And we have to figure out Marcus Reyes' place in all of this. He shot a perp at the last scene, and then _he_ gets taken out last night. Something is off here. It doesn't just seem like a good, old-fashioned hit," Danny observed.

"We have to approach these two cases as if they're not connected," Chin told them as he approached with Lori. The blonde looked over at him with a questioning frown.

"But we know they are," she told him. Chin shook his head.

"We can't assume that, otherwise we're putting ourselves at a disadvantage. That sort of bias leaves out other possibilities and we lose time in the end. We have to figure out _where_ they connect before we can say they are connected, so that means we start fresh with each case. The only common thread here is Marcus Reyes. For all we know Reyes made an ex-girlfriend angry, or made an enemy of a bookie to end up dead. We just don't know. We'll need to re-canvass Reyes' apartment and look at it as if he hadn't been the officer on scene at the last break-in," he said. Steve nodded in agreement as he looked among the team.

"If we retrace what happened in each of these homicides, it should eventually intersect if they're truly connected. We have to start there, otherwise we've got nothing substantial."

"And if Fryer is right and this is a trap?" Lori asked the large elephant of a question that seemed to follow them. Chin let out a breath.

"Then we should figure out who it's meant for along the way," he said. It didn't make anyone feel comfortable, not by a long shot.

"Alright," Steve broke the small silence. "Kono, Lori… get over to Reyes' place. Chin and I will continue here. Danny, I need you to get with Fryer and go over the last scene again… document any similarities, and especially document the differences."

"You're kidding, right?" Danny asked, crossing his arms defiantly. "With Fryer?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "You're the one out of the three of us…" indicating the three men. "… that would be the less likely to punch the hell out of the man. And he's a part of this as much as we are." Danny looked to think about that for a second, and then nodded.

"Alright, I concede that point. But why can't Kono or Lori deal with him?" he asked.

"Because Kono was never at the Reyes scene and she's going to have fresh eyes. Lori was the first of us there last night, so it makes sense hat she's there to walk Kono through her observations," Steve told him. Danny huffed as he had to concede that point. Steve just smirked at him.

"Sucks when I use logic against you, doesn't it?" he asked.

"Not any more than it does when you _don't_ use logic against me," Danny grumbled as he began to walk away.

* * *

_Elsewhere_

"Shelburne…"

A man frowned as he stared at the person in front of him. "Excuse me?"

"You can call me Shelburne." It was very obviously _not_ the person's name. But that person smiled at the man regardless. "For the short amount of time you have left to live, you can just call me Shelburne."

* * *

_En route to Marcus Reyes' Apartment_

Lori and Kono had never really found a common ground to connect on, not even the fact that they were both women on a team full of over-protective Neanderthals. Kono connected with Chin because… well, she'd known him since she took her first breath in the world. She connected with Steve because they were really so similar. She connected with Danny because they had the same sense of humor. But with Lori… it was a box full of crickets. An unbreachable wall of uncomfortable. So, the car ride to Reyes' place had been predictably quiet, not to mention extremely awkward. It was rare the women were paired together.

Kono could feel Lori looking at her every once in a while, when she could afford to glance away from the road. It was starting to become grating.

"If there's something you want to say, say it," she said finally, keeping her gaze locked on the road in front of her. Lore cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Sorry…" she said. Kono frowned. It sounded like a half-assed apology and not just a cover statement for staring.

"About?"

"I know my presence has made it awkward for you since you came back to Five-0," Lori told her. Kono shrugged.

"It is what it is. So, whatever," she told the other woman before remembering some semblance of manners. Her mother would be appalled at her lack of graciousness for the sort-of apology. "_Mahalo_." Lori took the next turn and was silent as she concentrated on where she was and where she needed to be. Satisfied that she was going to the right place, she spared another glance at Kono.

"It doesn't take a mind reader or a genius to see that you've been uncomfortable on the team since the undercover operation," she commented. Kono's jaw tensed at the mention, because in reality… yeah, it still bothered her a bit. Lori let out a breath as she refocused on the road. "And I'm pretty sure I'm part of the reason."

"Don't flatter yourself," Kono muttered. Lori chuckled.

"That's the thing, Kono. I'm not. I know exactly my part…" she said. Kono's gaze snapped over to her. It was an interesting statement to make.

"Your part?" she asked, eyes narrowing. Lori shook her head.

"I just meant that I know I was here to fill the gap. At least until you came back. The Governor has kept me here as oversight until he feels comfortable letting the team loose again," she explained, somewhat hurriedly. Silence fell as Kono evaluated that for the truth and Lori pulled the car up to the curb in front of Marcus Reyes' apartment.

"I'm not quite sure that's what you meant, Lori," Kono said after the other woman turned off the car. She didn't wait for the blonde's response before she pushed open the door and got out of the vehicle.

* * *

_Somewhere_

The man ran. He ran and ran and ran. His lungs burned horribly and he could feel his legs start to seize up slightly. But he could not stop. It was only a matter of time really. He was a dead man running. He knew that. It still didn't stop that little spark of hope that maybe – _maybe_ – he could actually make it just far enough…

The shot rang out. He gasped as the speeding bullet slammed into him. It wasn't just his legs that felt the need to seize. The unfortunate man didn't even have a moment to let out another breath as his body hit the cement with a sickening thud. Thankfully, there was no one around to hear it.

* * *

_Halawa Correctional Facility  
O'ahu_

Frank Delano stood outside the gates as a brand new man. Or rather, a man with a brand new outlook on life as a free man. He rubbed his wrists, trying to get the feel of the cold, hard metal of steel shackles out of his skin. Yes… he had a brand new outlook and a brand new purpose.

Frank straightened as the black town car pulled up to the curb. The door opened, but no one got out. Looking around the area, he smirked before he looked up to the guard shack and gave the man there a sarcastic salute. With no hesitation he ducked into the awaiting vehicle and closed the door behind him.

He shifted and got comfortable as he straightened the brand new polyester shirt they'd given him to replace the one full of bullet holes he'd been arrested in that fateful day at the Bank of Oahu.

An envelope was handed to him from his companion. Frank grinned as he upended it and a cell phone, new ID's, and a passport slipped out. He opened the passport and studied it for a moment.

"As we discussed, and I'm sure you are fully aware… Frank Delano will be serving a life sentence at Halawa Correctional Facility for murder," the person seated across from him said. Frank's grin just widened.

No, he'd been mistaken earlier… This particular Frank Delano was _definitely_ a brand new man.

* * *

**To be continued…**


	6. Six

**A/N: Life things just get crazier and crazier. BUT anyway… Ugh, you will see why this one had taken me a little longer to get out than what I'd anticipated. The resistance my hands put up was quite formidable for such a small part, but I had to remind myself that it has to be there because it IS there. I can't just put up walls around my little world and pretend things don't exist. ;) BUT, in that resistance, my hands moved forward to write some future scenes that I'm VERY excited to get to **_**eventually**_**… So… onward and upward.**

* * *

Six

* * *

_Marcus Reyes' Apartment_

Kono sifted through the rubble that the crime scene team had left behind for the cleanup crew, every once in a while pausing to look at the crime scene photos to get an idea of how it had been found.

"This is ridiculous," she grumbled as she slapped the photos back into their folder. "I can't make heads or tails of what they've left us." Lori looked up from where she was crouched re-arranging the pile of clothes that had been discarded as 'no evidence'.

"When I was with Homeland Security, I had to profile a suspect using his vast collection of matchbooks… 1,794 of them, to be exact. I had to log each one AND try to classify his geographic preference off of them," she said with a grimace. Kono looked over at the blonde.

"That sounds… tedious," she allowed. Lori looked up at her with a small smile.

"To say the least. The never ending glamour of law enforcement," she agreed. Kono let out a breath.

"We've been here for nearly an hour and we've got nothing new that isn't already being analyzed," she said as she laid the folder down on the dresser. Her phone chirped at her and as she looked at it, Charlie Fong's name appeared on the screen. Speaking of analyzing…

"Hey Charlie," Kono greeted after connecting the call.

"Hey Kono," he greeted back. "Listen, I think I may have something for you…"

Kono caught Lori's eye and the other woman came over to stand by her. Kono quickly put her phone on speaker.

"Okay, I've got Lori here too," she told him.

"There was a body found a couple of hours ago at one of the west harbor piers. Single gunshot wound to the head," Charlie said. Kono frowned.

"We didn't hear about this because?" she asked. Charlie chuckled.

"You know better than I do that you've got a fairly active case," he reminded her. Kono smiled.

"Yeah, you've got a point… anyway, what'd you find that you're calling us then?" she asked.

"The bullet pulled out of the victim… matched the ballistics of the bullets pulled out of Reyes and his girlfriend," he said. Kono's eyes widened as she looked to Lori, who looked just as shocked as she did.

"Our guy's been busy," Lori commented.

"What was the time of death?" Kono asked. She heard Charlie shuffle through some papers.

"Max's preliminary call says around 7:30 this morning," he told her. "He's still finishing the autopsy."

"Jeez," Kono said as she pinched the bridge of her nose. Lori frowned.

"How did they find the body so quickly? Did a docks worker call it in? Witnesses?" she asked. Again, Charlie shuffled through paperwork.

"No witnesses. It was at pier 54, the one they're in the middle of building yet. HPD canvasses the area regularly since the workers went on strike last week. A unit pulled up roughly 20 minutes later and found the body," Charlie read to them.

"Well that was lucky," Kono commented. Lori gave her a wry nod of agreement.

"Especially with the Coast Guard located right down the street," she added.

"Sounds like our guy is cleaning house, and doing it as quietly as he can get away with," Kono said. Lori nodded.

"Ballistics all they got off the guy?" the blonde asked.

"Not quite. Max had sent me a picture of an odd tattoo the guy had and wanted me to try to trace it down. Wanted to be sure you had a copy of it too. Officially, the paperwork on this case hasn't been turned over to Five-0 yet, but it will be once I get the paperwork complete on the ballistics. So I'm eliminating the middle man in the meantime," Charlie joked.

"Don't tell homicide that," Lori said back. Kono gave a pinched smile.

"Sadly, 'eliminating the middle man' may turn out to be the motive of both of these cases," she said back.

"Well, the picture is on its way. I'm still working on the origins and its meaning, but in case you need that as any identifier," Charlie told them.

"Thanks, Fong," Lori signed off.

"You're welcome," he said back before hanging up. Kono frowned as she turned to look around the room again.

"So we've got another 'hit'. A police officer, his girlfriend, and now a John Doe on the docks. This doesn't have a good feeling attached to it. It's not going to be cut and dry," she said, glancing at Lori.

"No, I don't think it will be either. And we still have an unconnected John Doe from the other case too," she reminded her. Kono's phone pinged as a message arrived. She opened it to find a black inked mark magnified in the photo.

"Shit…" Lori muttered before she ran over to where they'd set the crime scene photos. She quickly paged through a stack of them and then straightened when she found what she was looking for. Flipping the picture towards Kono she let out a breath. "Now it's not just a bullet that connects these two cases."

There, on the left side of the left wrist sat the very same tattoo Kono was staring at on her phone. If it had been anything else, Kono might have been amused at the sudden coincidence.

"So Reyes had the same tattoo…" she let out a breath. Lori shook her head.

"This tattoo is on the girlfriend," she corrected. Kono took a step forward to look closer at the picture. Lori was right; the wrist was definitely a feminine one. And the name on the evidence tag said the same thing. Kono frowned. There was something very familiar about the black ink. Something that was sitting at the edge of her brain, a memory, and she tried grabbing for it:

_Two weeks earlier…_

_This was only the second time they'd gone out since their first 'accidental' meeting. As much as she was on edge doing what she was doing – especially so soon again after Fryer's job – she actually found she was enjoying Adam Noshimuri's company. They didn't necessarily have a LOT in common, but they had enough to have conversations and enough differences to make those conversations interesting. So, when Adam had asked for her number, she'd given it to him with barely a second thought. And when he'd called asking her to a proper date… who was she to say no?_

"_Nobu? Really?" Kono asked with a teasing grin as Adam pulled out her chair. He grinned charmingly back._

"_All the girls love a high profile restaurant," he said with a wink._

"_I… am not most girls," Kono remarked. Adam gave her a softer smile as he quickly sat down across from her._

"_I am very aware of that," he said. "And that's why, in the next 30 minutes or so, the entire restaurant will clear out and we'll have the place to ourselves." Kono's eyes widened as she looked around at the bustling restaurant. It was a place to see and be seen. Very well known to host the elite and the famous. And apparently well connected to Adam Noshimuri. Which should have been no real surprise to her. Yet it was._

_It had been a great dinner. Laughter, comfort, good drinks and great food… It was a good official first date after the disaster that could be considered their first unofficial date. Kono was relaxed and couldn't wait to see what Adam had in store for them next. He'd said dinner and a surprise…_

"_Message for you, Mr. Noshimuri," a man interrupted, stepping up to the table. He held out his hand to give the small white envelope to Adam. A curious tattoo peeked out from under his shirt sleeve and it caught Kono's attention briefly before being distracted by Adam's frown._

"_Anything wrong?" she asked. Adam pushed the piece of paper back into the envelope and looked up to her with a smile._

"_Nope, just a quick update on some business I had been waiting on. Nothing important," he said as he stood, laying the piece of paper on the table and straightening his suit jacket. "We have plans that we can't be late for…"_

_Kono grinned as she, too, stood and took his outstretched hand – completely missing the look between Adam and the other man._

* * *

_Late afternoon…_

The sound of the waves hitting the shore was calming. And it was very much needed. He'd taken a couple hours off of the case – _not_ because Danny had insisted on it, though – to actually do something that didn't require thinking about the case. Or _cases,_ as they'd promised themselves to call them…

Steve had quickly called Catherine to pay back the rain check they'd taken when the Reyes call had come in the other night. They sat out on the lanai after a light lunch, beer and wine in their respective hands… Over the years there had been a lot of one or both of them being called away from the moments they were able to steal away, so it hadn't exactly been a surprise.

"You seem distracted, Commander," Catherine's voice called him back from his thoughts. Steve smiled at her as he picked up his beer.

"It's been a tough few days," he granted. One of Catherine's eyebrows rose.

"Don't you mean weeks?" she prodded. "Going off grid has a way of doing that."

It was a struggle for Steve to keep the frown off of his face. There seemed to be some gentle censure in her statement. Instead he just shrugged.

"Had to be done," he said. Catherine let out a breath as she raised her glass of wine.

"Did it?" She asked the question before taking a small sip. Steve just looked at her. Danny would be muttering about aneurysm face at that precise moment.

"Cath, I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean for it to happen during your furlough. If I'd known beforehand that you were going to be on the island…"

"You wouldn't have gone?" she asked, her eyes wide in surprise. When he didn't answer right away, she huffed at sat back against the chair. "Right…"

"I can't answer one way or the other what would have happened, Cath, it's over already. But if I'd known before hand, I would have thought about it, okay?" he gave her.

"It was going to be a surprise…" Her voice was quiet, her eyes watching closely as she swirled the deep red liquid in the glass.

"We've never done surprises well, Cath. With our schedules it's pretty much impossible. Even with _plans_ we don't do well," he told her. She looked up at him.

"I _know_. I'd just hoped…" she sighed. Steve let out a short, amazed laugh. When she glared at him, he held up his hands in apology.

"Sorry. It's just that you'd hoped that what we'd had the past couple years had suddenly changed?" He winced as he realized how that sounded. Luckily, Catherine had known him long enough to realize what he meant. She leaned her elbows on the table in front of her, fingers nervously rubbing over the stem of the glass.

"What if I'm saying that I want to try?" she asked, peeking a look up at him to gauge his reaction.

Steve had been surprised when he'd heard his father's voice on the phone while sitting in a Humvee and interrogating the younger Hesse all those months ago. He'd been surprised to be handed immunity and a task force as he'd stepped foot back onto the island. He'd been surprised to see Kono across the booking room when life had gone to hell for a while there. He'd been surprised at the depth of Fryer's undercover on Delano. He'd been surprised when Joe White had absconded with Hiro Noshimuri… And he was definitely surprised now.

"You want to try… at a _relationship_," he clarified. He took another drink of his beer. Catherine knew he was still mulling that over in his head. As much as she'd hoped for an instant positive response to her question, she couldn't just forget what she knew of Steve McGarrett.

"Just think it over?" she asked, sitting back. "For me?" Steve opened his mouth, but realized he couldn't answer that. It wasn't that he was allergic to relationships, not by a long shot. But, he'd just never really given thought to something _serious_ between him and Catherine. He wasn't sure _why_. He'd always enjoyed his time with her, they got along great, and hell… she was NAVY. As Danny would tell him, she was a gift-wrapped, special edition GI Jane with a side of ammo made just for him. But then again, Danny always called the females that could hit harder than he could that. The Jersey boy wasn't picky in his labeling.

"Cath," Steve started, but she held up her hand. To give her credit, there was actually amusement in her eyes.

"Stop. I know you, Steve. You don't have an answer. So don't even try. I'm sorry for taking you by surprise like that, but you do need to know what I'm thinking. I need to be honest with you. And I'm going to need you to be honest with me. So… _think about it_," she said. Steve nodded. And when Cath reached across the small table, she squeezed his hand in gratitude.

He squeezed back. And then his phone rang…

* * *

Frank Delano liked what he did. It was safe to say that he was _good_ at what he did. He excelled at being bad. Of course, he'd had that little hiccup with the Five-0, but he'd settle that score. It was also something he did very well.

He lounged back in the booth he was sitting in and smirked at all the pretty girls that walked by him – all scantily clad and full of sultry winks. With all the distractions, it was understandable that he didn't notice the presence next to him for longer than he would have liked. When the cell phone slid in front of him, it took him by surprise.

"Jesus," he muttered as he turned to his companion. "Can't use the front door like a normal person?"

The person next to him looked less than amused. "I cannot be seen associating with you. Pick up the phone."

Frank frowned and gave the other person a once over. "This better be good…" The other person just smiled with deceptive congeniality. Frank picked up the phone.

"So, how many middle men do you have exactly?" he asked, not bothering to think it could be anyone else.

"More than you can imagine, Mr. Delano. And it would be in your best interest to remember that," the voice on the other end said. Frank rolled his eyes.

"I think you forget that I _own_ this island, man," he said with a chuckle. The man next to him lifted an eyebrow. Frank just made a face at him.

"Funny, Mr. Delano. I didn't realize your personal finances had been freed up from the Honolulu Police Department to allow such a statement. According to… well… _everything_, you're still in prison. And you've been released basically on _my _say so. So, I'll have to ask: who exactly _owns_ the island? _Man_?" the voice mocked.

Frank grit his teeth and didn't say anything. The other person continued as if they didn't know what Frank was thinking.

"Since we're in agreement then, I don't think I have to remind you that you have a job to do. You have several, in fact. Primary being that you have some product to take care of for me. Let's just say that the last couple of mishaps have set me back and I'm hoping that your skillset will be able to take care of that for me. It would be nice if you could prove that you've been marginally worth the trouble."

The call was disconnected. Frank looked at the phone before his companion's hand snuck up and slipped it out of his grip.

"Pleasure, Mr. Delano. As always." Frank found himself alone, and it wasn't long before he was distracted again.

* * *

_Five-0 Headquarters_

"What have we got?" Steve asked as he walked into the building. Kono's head snapped up from what she was reading as she watched him walk in. She nodded towards Chin, who started pulling things up on the multiple screens with Danny watching close by.

"Background information so far," Chin answered.

"Leilani Komoa," Kono said as the picture of Reyes' girlfriend came up on the screen. "Local girl, 27 years old. University of Hawaii graduate. Not exactly a stellar student, though. Junior agent at Hau'oli Travels, worked there for 3 years." Chin pulled up the website.

"Okay…" Steve prompted as his eyes ran over the information.

"What's strange about all of this," Lori started to explain. "Is that there was a body called in this morning. Ballistics match the bullets used to kill Reyes and Komoa. Fong also found a tattoo on the new vic and passed along the information to us." Lori touched the SmartTable and pulled up the image of the tattoo. It was done simply with black ink and was located in the somewhat unique position of the left side of the left wrist. Steve stared at the image of two intersecting infinity symbols with interest.

"That seems a bit specific," he said. Kono pulled up the second image of the tattoo with a small smile.

"Not everyone gets hearts and Chinese symbols apparently. The tattoo on the docks victim matched the tattoo on Komoa," she told him. Steve frowned.

"The girlfriend?" Kono nodded, looking over at Danny to continue.

"Obviously, we thought the connection was Reyes. Which may still be the case. But we obviously dug a little deeper into Komoa's history. She had a prior for felony breaking and entering. It was pled down and she only had to serve three months plus probation and community service. After that, she took the job with the travel agency. There's every indication that she was trying to turn her life around," Danny revealed. Steve let out a breath.

"People lie, though. Hide things," he said. Danny rolled his eyes.

"Says the resident cynic," he grumbled. Steve ignored it as he studied the website for the travel agency, there was something that was trying to get his attention. The screen scrolled down a bit and brought a statement front and center.

"I think you're looking for this," Kono mentioned with a grin. "_Full service travel agency_… Seems a bit odd, doesn't it?"

Steve nodded. "What's that mean exactly?" Kono clicked a link and it brought up another page.

"It's definitely not standard practice among travel agencies due to the liability they could incur. Hau'oli Travels is the only agency on the island that _only_ schedules appointments in clients homes. They say it's because it's more 'customer friendly'. They also provide pet sitting, house sitting, errand running, and are willing to take requests from clients while they are away enjoying their vacations. All for a moderate flat fee," she said. Chin let out a little whistle.

"For a middle class income, that's actually quite a steal," he commented. Danny nodded.

"Also a pretty tempting draw for the higher income bracket if they don't want to have to pay an hourly rate to their own housekeeping staff or personal assistants," he noted as he looked around at the group.

"The B&E on the first family was done while they were on vacation…" Lori commented. No one said anything for a long moment. Steve shifted as he leaned onto the table.

"Alright. I know we're all thinking it. But we can't make the leap that there's a connection between Komoa and the B&E's just yet," he said. "We need proof, not circumstantial information."

"It's not a huge leap though, babe," Danny played devil's advocate. "Komoa's boyfriend was first on scene at the second B&E. He was the only one left alive…" Steve shook his head. As much as he'd love to tie all this together in one neat, little bow, his instincts told him this one just wasn't going to be that easy.

"Find me a connection between Komoa and those specific homes. Until then, we're still running this separately," he said. "Chin and Lori, go check out the travel agency. Interview the employees; get a feel for the place. Danny, you and I will go back over the evidence from both B&E's. _Maybe_ we can find your connection there. Kono, I want all the information from the body found this morning. Get Max's autopsy results and any other findings. Also check on our first John Doe. Check to see if he had the tattoo." Everyone nodded and started to go their separate ways. Just as Kono turned to go, Steve reached out and touched her arm.

"Kono?" he asked quietly as to not draw attention to their conversation. She turned to look at him and he nodded toward his office. "A word?"

She hesitated for a split second but nodded tightly, leading the way. Steve sighed. Now or never for the conversation he didn't really want to have. It was going to have to be now. He knew his temper, and he knew her stubbornness. Steve just hoped it remained professional… and there were no weapons involved.

* * *

_**To be continued…**_

* * *

**AN: Sorry all, this was somewhat hastily written after I got my groove back. ****Any mistakes, just let me know. Otherwise, hope you liked it!**


	7. Seven

**A/N: Hello all… thanks ever so much for being extremely patient! I hope you're still with this fic. **** Life has gone fast forward lately and time has been at a premium… preparing to leave the country for two years has taken up my writing time. As it is, I can't promise that things will be updated regularly, especially after I'm out of country, but I can say that I will do my best so don't give up on it! Anyway, this is a fairly short update to hopefully get things moving again somewhat… ;)**

* * *

Seven

* * *

_Steve's Office_

Kono took a moment before turning to face the judge, jury, and quite possibly executioner after shutting the door behind her. She fully expected the patented McGarrett glare when she finally looked at him, but was taken off guard when she found him slumped in his chair, fiddling with his fingers.

"Boss?" she asked carefully. He let out a breath as he leaned forward on the desk and looked up at her.

"Noshimuri," he said simply. Kono swallowed hard before she nodded once.

"I owe you an explanation," she said, sinking down into the chair and rubbing her knees uncomfortably. She watched him pinch the bridge of his nose.

"In one way, yes you do, Kono. Seeing as how we left things and all. But in another, you really don't," Steve said, looking at her again. Kono nodded again. She didn't want to be lying to her boss again, or in any case, omitting anything.

"What do you want to know?" She'd leave it to him to ask the questions that she would answer.

"I saw pictures. Chin had a guy on you, he followed you and Noshimuri," he said. Kono nodded.

"I gathered you knew about… Adam and I," she told him. "And I didn't lie to you about what I told you before. Adam doesn't know where Joe White or his father is. And he doesn't talk to me about business, at all. Even if I ask in a general sense." Silence fell as Steve watched her face for any sign to not trust that answer. He nodded, knowing more than anything that he did trust her, even with the situation being what it was.

"If I asked, would you be able to walk away?" he asked carefully, watching closely for any tell. She was silent, and he could sense the unease in her thoughts. He slumped back in his chair again with a sigh. "On a professional level, Kono, I am asking you to walk away. I shouldn't have asked this of you in the first place. I normally wouldn't ask on a personal level, that's not how I operate. But… Adam Noshimuri is the de facto head of the Yakuza until his father's whereabouts are secured. And as an officer of the Honolulu Police Department and a member of the Five-0 task force…"

"I know," she interrupted, a hand up to stop him from continuing. "Believe me, Steve, I know. If you think I haven't talked this over in my own head a million times after I made first contact with him…"

Steve stood up from behind his desk and moved around to the front. He didn't want to be boss and employee at the moment, although a small voice in his head chided him that this had already far surpassed boss and employee by any standard of conduct. It probably had the day he'd hired her, if he were truly honest. Steve ignored all of that for the moment. He needed this conversation to be frank and unofficial so he knew ahead of time what trouble this could all bring. Rather than lean against his desk, he sat in the chair next to Kono's.

"How did you make first contact?" he asked, looking down at his hands again. Kono gave a humorless chuckle.

"Completely by accident, actually," she said, thinking back. "Malia had called and we were going to meet up. We'd decided to meet at the new place Kuhio Ave out in Waikiki."

_It hadn't been a particularly noteworthy day. Just a rare day off and Malia had wanted to grab a coffee before her shift at the hospital. Still making up for that lost time, as the other woman had joked. Kono looked down at her phone in frustrated bemusement as she hung up. Her new cousin-in-law was late. It wasn't like Malia, who was usually so prompt and put together. Chin's laid back attitude was definitely rubbing off. Kono chuckled to herself as she picked up her coffee and turned to go find a table in the crowded restaurant. Incidentally, a man in an expensive suit was reaching just beyond her for a napkin for his own drink. The result of both of these actions, of course, was a brilliant spatter pattern of coffee imprinted on the poshly draped arm of said man - and two very distinct frowns._

"Let's just say," Kono said with a quick embarrassed cough. "Kind words were not exchanged at that moment. I had just realized who he was when Malia walked in the door. I'd offered to buy him a new drink when he'd recognized me… "

"How?" Steve asked with a concerned frown. Kono tilted her head to give him a look. He felt like he should know the answer.

"From the news reports. _Fryer,_" she reminded him with a small smile. It was still a bitter taste in her mouth, but she could forgive him for the momentary lapse. "Forget who Adam is for a moment, his connections. That news report was run for weeks with my picture all over the place. And the resulting exoneration, of course, made the news as well. The whole island knew who I was for a while there."

"Yeah." That didn't make him feel any better.

"I didn't let you finish before," she said, eyes locking on his. "Are you personally asking me to walk away?" The question hung heavy in the air as they continued to look at each other. Steve's blue gaze lowered, knowing that there was only one answer to her question that he could live with.

"No."

Kono sucked in a silent breath as something clutched in her chest. It was hard to tell at the moment what the reaction was. She nodded tightly, but he didn't see it.

"I can't ask that of you, Kono."

Silence fell between the two, each trying to read the other without catching the others gaze. For a brief moment there was something tangible there, something neither one really understood but realized it had been there for quite a while. Still, all they could do was sit there uncomfortably.

"I have a medical examiner to go see," she said quietly, standing. Steve nodded quickly as he stood too, the job clicking back into focus.

"I'll let you get to that." She smiled gratefully at the return to professionalism. It was a relief to be out of that conversation without war wounds. And from the look on Steve's face, he felt the exact same way.

"Call you if I get anything," she said as she opened the door and walked out. She said a quick 'see ya' to Danny as he approached Steve's office. That heavy feeling was still in her chest…

* * *

"Everything okay?" Danny asked, eyeing Steve as he watched Kono prepare to go see Max. When Steve looked back at Danny, there was a troubled expression on his face for a split second before he masked it.

"Fine. Why wouldn't it be?" the man answered before shrugging casually. Too casually. Danny looked quickly over to Kono as she exited and then back to his partner.

"I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark here, but I think this may be the time to make you King of Passive Aggressive Conversations. Which is odd, by the way, considering your interrogation tactics," Danny mused.

"You don't know what you're talking about, Danno," Steve told him. Danny raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, but I think I do. In this, I definitely think I do. I'm not just a pretty face around this place… I have certain skills," he said. Steve rolled his eyes as he leaned back against his desk and crossed his arms.

"These so-mentioned skills, have they acquired anything new on the case then?" Steve asked. Danny pointed a finger at the man with a knowing look.

"I'm right. I know I'm right because you just changed the subject. But as to your question, I'm actually waiting on _your_ ass, Your Highness since we're going to confab over the B&E evidence,"

"Right." Steve nodded once and started out of the office, Danny quickly behind him.

"Holy crap, it's worse than I thought," the blond muttered.

"Don't know what you're talking about," Steve responded, not turning to look at his friend.

"Yes you do. But that's not the point. Friendly advice?"

"Nope."

"Fine, don't you ever say I didn't try. And I will not be hosting beer-guzzling pity parties. My foot is down on that…"

"So noted."

"You're a jackass." Steve just smirked as he held the door open for his friend.

* * *

_Unspecified Location_

"It's too bad that McGarrett killed Nick Taylor. We could have used his particular skillset right now. The assassination attempt on Pak was a waste of time and resources, not to mention a risk of further exposure," the man said. The other man just hummed a general acknowledgement as he looked over the set of pictures in front of him.

"As you well know, the Pak situation was a necessity, a non-negotiable. That particular conversation ends there, if you're smart. Now, we now have too many loose ends tied together in our current business dealings. We need to start cutting those strings and eliminating them altogether," he said, his eyes staying longer on the picture of Officer Kalakaua caught in a candid shot with Noshimuri, the younger. He pushed the picture in front of his companion.

"This situation could easily get out of our control. We need to neutralize it. I'm tired of trying to keep my eyes on it when I have bigger things to be concerned about." His voice was bored as he gave the order, but there was a bit of apprehension in his eyes as he realized how close he would be cutting things. It still needed to be done though. There was no room for doubt, not with Five-0 circling in the waters.

"It will be done," his companion said, picking up the picture. "I will make sure our associate knows."

* * *

_Noshimuri Compound_

"Did you get them?"

"I couldn't. The police were there. We're going to have to wait until dark. Then I can get at them again."

"Adam, if we don't get everything out of there, they _will _be found. And we'll be dead men. You know as well as I do that we can't afford mistakes right now… There have been too many already."

"I know." Adam sighed as he ran a hand over his face. His held the cell phone in a white-knuckled grip. "Can you tell me where you are?"

"No. I cannot. I don't have much time. But alert me when everything is moved."

"I will."

The phone went dead.

* * *

_Elsewhere_

He smiled as the message came in. It was time to settle the score… Patrick Flynn, nee Frank Delano, dialed a number on his cell phone to get things going. He was going to enjoy this.

* * *

**To be continued…**

**A/N: As always, I'm curious as to what you think: love, hate or indifferent. ;)**


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